Promise #9
I will bless every place in which an image of my heart is exposed and honored.
“The Sacred Heart of my adorable Master has given me to understand that his desire to be known, loved, and honored by men is so excessive that He has promised to all those who consecrate and devote themselves to it in order to give it this pleasure; that He will never allow them to perish.”
St. Margaret Mary, Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
A dear friend recently handed me a copy of an article from our local paper that was first printed in 1955 and rediscovered by her family in the late 1970s. The article, titled “Religion Gives Fullness to Life,” shared how her family lived out their Catholic faith in their daily lives, including how her family enthroned the Sacred Heart of Jesus in her home.
“We practiced the faith as a family in the 1950s,” my friend explained to me.
We said the Rosary daily, went to Mass each week, and attempted to live virtuous lives. Now, after a long life, I can see the fruits of my parents’ faith. No matter what difficulties we have all faced, my siblings and I have all been offered the graces we have needed; we simply had to choose to access them. My Catholic faith has been my passion and strength in good and bad times, and my parents’ devotion to the Sacred Heart allowed me to embrace this devotion more readily than I might have if I hadn’t had their example—if Jesus had not been enthroned as the center of our home.
She thought a moment; then she said to me, “It has been sixty-five years since this article was published in our local paper, and I can say that in all that time I have never been truly alone. Jesus is my house guest, and he is with me always, my unseen guest.”
Every family that does the enthronement can typically share one grace, blessing, or insight they received about how the Lord wanted to be invited in to help strengthen the family and lead them closer to his heart. Enthronement to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a way to help families grow closer to Christ. Through it, we become more aware of the need for grace to preserve and protect our family from evil influences and learn how to navigate living in the world. Further, enthronement helps us to see the many amazing opportunities to involve Christ in our careers, lifestyles, activities, schooling, and sports. I can now see that the Sacred Heart wanted to help our family and that Jesus is inviting all families to take this leap in faith of welcoming him as well.
One of the great aspects of enthronement to the Sacred Heart is that it’s not just for families and individuals who want to give their hearts and homes to Jesus; enthronement can and should also be done in Catholic schools, businesses, organizations, and parishes. Jesus, the King of love, wants to reign everywhere; this is how we grow our heavenly kingdom here on earth.
Enthronement is a Christian ceremony where the person or persons welcome the King of love to come and rule. When we give Jesus our life, we seek not to compartmentalize our faith but rather to live in a way that honors our Lord in all that we do.
Catholic schools are a perfect place for the enthronement to the Sacred Heart: it reminds all who attend that the school exists primarily to teach its students about Jesus and his love for us. Jesus told the disciples, “Let the children come to me.” When we recognize Jesus as king, savior, and friend in our schools, we seek to gather the children into his arms.
Businesses and organizations can also benefit greatly from enthronement. One business owner shared that after the enthronement to the Sacred Heart, she decided to enthrone the business, and since then she has seen God at work helping her to make her spa more Christ-centered, while still providing outstanding care to those who come.
Sacred Heart enthronement offers spiritual food to those in great need. When we choose to enthrone the Sacred Heart in any place, we give all who go there an opportunity to experience the love of God and learn how to grow in holiness right alongside the people connected with that place, our families, fellow students, coworkers, parishioners, and friends.
Enthronement requires three essential elements.
First, we need to choose freely to welcome Jesus; it is a choice. A time of preparation through prayer helps us to prepare our hearts to accept him and is a symbol of that yes. We read in Isaiah 40:3, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!” This is true with our hearts; we need to prepare for him to come. Fr. Mateo suggests three days or more of prayer preparation, but as with anything in life, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Consider adding in the sacrament of confession as well in order to have a clean start. However, do not allow yourself to feel overwhelmed, and trust that Christ will reward us for whatever we can offer.
Second, the family or individual needs to expose a blessed image or statue of the Sacred Heart in a “prevalent place.”
That means somewhere you will see it! It will not do any good in the far corner of the basement. Instead, choose a place where you can easily see it and will encounter it on a regular basis and be reminded of your commitment to honor him.
Third, we must make a formal act of enthronement.
It need not be anything elaborate or time-consuming. Fr. Mateo, the founder of the movement, said that the entire ceremony typically only lasts about fifteen minutes Enthronement is the kickoff ceremony or the launching pad, not the finish line. Numerous resources are listed in this book for acquiring materials and instructions on how to carry out the ceremony, so there is no need to worry.
The act of enthronement is a powerful way to change the philosophy of your life or that of your family. God wants to bless us in abundance; all we need to do is to trust and be open to the Holy Spirit. God himself cannot be outdone, and by enthroning Jesus in our homes, we are inviting him to be the head of our homes so we can receive his graces in a new way.
Once we’ve completed the steps of enthroning our homes to the Sacred Heart, we turn to the task of living out the enthronement. This includes embracing the Sacred Heart as our source of strength, our place of refuge, and seeking the graces he wants to offer no matter what lemons are tossed at us. “But you, Lord, are enthroned forever; your renown is for all generations” (Ps 102:13).
Enthronement is not just an individual consecration or dedication but also a decision to enthrone Jesus as king of your whole family, living and deceased. This powerful reality speaks to the scripture “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Jos 24:15). When we take time to pray for our family and give our entire life to Christ, and those of our family, we trust in his graces and his ability to seek all those who are lost. Now more than ever before we need to stand before the Lord, begging for his blessings and asking for his graces.
PONDERING THE PROMISE
Do not allow anxiety, worry, and stress to prevent you from praying and discovering this powerful promise. It is easy to be so busy or consumed by the worries of the day that you forget to pray. Shut your eyes and ask Jesus to show you how much he loves you. In what areas of your life do you need to ask him to be your king? In your home life? Your marriage? Your finances? Your parenting? Invite him into that place.
This excerpt from Secrets of the Sacred Heart is reprinted with permission of Ave Maria Press.
